A community conversation marking the
20th anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s release was held at the YMCA, St Andrew’s
Street, Durban, on Thursday, February 11, 2010

Earnest discussion during
the group workshop

February 12, 2010 – The third community conversation event
for Durban’s Albert Park community became a joint celebration of the rights of
individuals, as it took place on the 20th anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s
release from prison. This was timely event for the community, who, after going
through a series of action planning exercise, were looking to create a better
future for the community.

This programme focuses on understanding the underlying causes of anger and
frustration in communities affected by incidents of violence against
non-nationals. Through the process of dialogue among community members, the
programme aims to develop innovative solutions to promote peaceful co-existence
between nationals and non-nationals. Towards this end, the Nelson Mandela
Foundation partners with organisations working with the Albert Park community –
among them: the KwaZulu-Natal Christian Council; the KwaZulu-Natal Refugee
Council; the Refugee Social Services; and the Union of Refugee Women.

A group illustration of the most important issues that need to be
addressed within the community

Gugu Shelembe, of the KwaZulu-Natal Christian Council, convened the event and
welcomed the 72 attendees, who represented a diversity of cultures and
countries. These included Kenya, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Somalia, the
United States, South Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The significance of the day was commemorated and Nelson Mandela’s fight for
the freedom of all South Africans was acknowledged. Mr Mandela was honoured for
being “a leader who led by example” and “made sacrifices for all of us”.

Mr Mandela was spoken about as someone who was able to stand with dignity and
pride in who he was, and had a vision of the kind of society he wanted to be a
part of. Pointing to Madiba’s example, Shelembe set the tone for the day by
drawing from the biblical message in Song of Songs, which reads: “I am black,
but I am beautiful”. She inspired those present, to “take pride that our roots
are connected to the soil of Africa” and create a community in Albert Park,
where all races and nationalities can live peacefully side by side.

Two actors take part in a
mini-drama to illustrate the oppression that black South Africans were subjected
to during the apartheid regime

During his welcome address, the local ward 32 councillor, Vusi Khoza, who
represents around 28 000 residents of the Albert Park inner-city community,
reminded the community that they were “living the dreams that Madiba strived
for”. He recalled at one time how the majority of places in Albert Park where
no-go zones for black people, and the striking contrast of the cosmopolitan
nature of the area today.

“Today we have all nationalities in Albert Park – black, white, Indian, many
African countries [are represented here], and even [people from] Pakistan [live
in Albert Park]. We need to appreciate this”, he said.

Local councillor Vusi
Khoza makes a point during the group discussions

As part of the Community Capacity Enhancement (CCE) methodology’s cyclical
analytical process, facilitator Baruti Amisi reported back on the action plans
that the community had developed during the previous conversation. These
included actions to be taken in relation to five key areas – addressing crime
and insecurity, improving access to local resources, increasing awareness of the
diverse range of cultures in the area, improving the communication and
participation in local leadership structures, and tackling the challenge of
moral degeneration in the area.

The community was briefed on positive developments in relation to these
issues such as: the presentation of a petition which called for the reduction in
the number of liquor outlets in the area; ongoing discussions to integrate
migrants into the community and an audit of the skills possessed by foreign
nationals in the area, which could form a basis for skills sharing programmes
with locals.

From left: facilitator
Annociata Nzaliturande, Imrah Reyaz from Sri Lanka, Miyere Miyandazi from Kenya,
Jamad Hersi from Somalia and Ashvina Rhana, Refugee Social Services
PR

A major challenge, acknowledged by the community during the past
conversation, was the low levels of literacy and access to information that, in
the long run, hampers social cohesion.

The community was informed of three recent projects that seek to respond to
this challenge: the development of an inner city community radio station to
“tell our stories”; a multi-lingual community newspaper; and a multi-lingual
inner-city school.

Elaborating on these projects, Khoza explained how the three projects
designed to bridge the communication gap had been identified in the earlier
conversation.

“We need to cleanse the mind of pre-conceived ideas and work towards a united
Africa,” he said.

Jamad Hersi of Refugee
Social Services outlines her group’s ideas for the next generation of the Albert
Park community

During the discussion that followed, participants agreed that communication
through these projects could be used to promote peaceful co-existence and
overcome the challenges imposed by language barriers sometimes experienced in
the area.

Khoza likened the Albert Park community to “a sample of the whole of Africa”.

A community member makes a
point during the feedback session

“You will find all the languages of Africa here,” he added. “We need a
platform where we can all talk and dissipate some of the tensions and suspicions
that build among us.”

Through the dialogue process the community is taking ownership of the process
and responsibility for addressing their concerns. As one participant put it, “We
are responsible for improving our living conditions; nobody else will do it for
us.”

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